Cindy Wider   Comment Posted Apr.25th, 2010, viewed 896 times

Hi Ann, this is a beautiful painting and a great choice for an image to analyse. I have added some further things for you to ponder here. Well done on your analysis. I wasn’t able to copy and paste your comments easily so I have simply written my comments here after the letter ‘C’. Please see your comments as well as mine to complete or ‘make sense’ of my comments more fully.

1. Choose your Format

C; that’s correct, The format for this image is a rectangle in a Landscape position.

2. Horizon Line and Viewpoint

Yes, that’s correct; standing human eye view. This was very tricky because of the rolling hills.

3. Focal point

Yes, the boy and group of sheep are the focal point as this is the highest contrast area,
In particular his clothes ie: his very light purple-white against yellow-white shirt makes us think at first glance that it is white. The shirt contrasts against his brown pants, hats and dark black-brown belt. It is amazing at how much attention one tiny bit of high contrast can gain in an entire image isn’t it.

4. Plan the Direction in Line and shape

This is a good line of direction, there is a strong lead into the boy with contrast as you say and also the angle, of that first mound. Notice how it goes out of the page in a kind of arrow towards the right side, but then all those lilac tones point back over to the left to pull us straight back into the image. There is a strong diagonal force to the right in this front angle, but it is also interrupted somewhat by the dark vertical tree trunk on the far right bottom corner as it contrasts with the lightest patch of dried grass there. The brown of the tree trunk and the pale lemon hues in this first mound introduce us to the similar but slightly darker tones in the boy. It is a very clever ploy to get our eye to look to the boy. Also there is a tiny branch on the lower left side of that tree in the foreground which points straight to the boy.

Please see the attached image for my version of the main view path. It is very similar to what you have written too Ann, well done.


5. Consider Repetition and Rhythm for unity

Excellent work here Ann!


6. Depth
Great analysis of depth here. Also the little house in the mid-ground and other figure are kept very pale and low-contrast to subdue that top right side, it is interesting how that left patch of green blue contrasting tones really pulls our eye back over to the left but successfully recedes into the distance. In the greyscale image attatched you can see that this area is darker in tone and matches the tone in the boys belt and the bird and gap (shadow) between sheep’s back legs as well – this is also a clever way of taking through the painting to the faraway `hills. So depth is created with tone .

7. Use variety in the Mass sizes
the variety in mass sizes can be seen more easily in the greyscale version attached.
There is good variety in mass sizes throughout.

8. Use variety in Contrast

good work here.

9. Texture

Yes, there is a lot of variety in the texture in the grasses, sky and tree tops in the mid ground, there is much less texture in the background.

10. Consider mood and colour
beautiful!


Well done on an excellent analysis of this painting Ann.